How to Design Your Own Weight Loss Program For Sustained Success

Let’s be honest, making a change in our diet sucks. But if you are truly committed to the long term results the short term inconvenience will be easy to overcome. If you are looking for an extreme tuna-fish-broccoli weight loss plan stop reading this post. Eating healthy is vital but cutting out all the things you enjoy and restricting yourself can make your resentful, stressed and depressed. This post is about how you can design an achievable and sustainable weight loss program for yourself based on your current eating habits and lifestyle. Yes you will need to make adjustment but it won’t be torture.

Let me show your how.

I want you to keep in mind your macro-nutrients will only be coming from the following sources: PROTEIN, FATS and CARBOHYDRATES. Put your focus on fueling your body not depriving it. One adjustment that can lead to a major change in your body is lowering your intake of sodium to under 1300 mg/day (about 2/3 teaspoon). An example, a Chipotle Salad bowl: beans, fajita vegetables, chicken, pinto beans, salsa (no guac) is 950 mg. add guac and that number goes up to 1325mg! You will not put a focus on calories, rather reducing toxic food intake.

I’ve put together a sample meal plan of what I actually eat when looking to lean up. This is what a well-balanced macro-nutrient optimized food intake looks like with my food preferences. When I do eat like this, the change is so subtle that it’s virtually painless. It’s not some big scary diet overhaul. We are using metabolism revving tricks to get your body on the right track so that your workouts have optimal benefits.

One amazing and simple way to do this is increase your H2O intake. Become responsible for drinking 2/3 gallon (about 11 cups) of water every single day. This isn’t that hard, just do it. And as you will notice with this sample, eat your heaviest meals before 3pm. Dinner will be low on carbohydrates and consumed by 7pm.

SAMPLE OF MY PERSONAL MEAL PROGRAM FOR WEIGHT LOSS

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Yes, abs are made in the kitchen. Yes, better results come from eating right. But why not expedite the process and spot tone along the way? Your exercise routine is what will allow you to maintain your weight loss while enjoying the foods you love. This is how super fit people live the 80/20 rule. You will be committed to exercising at high-intensity 20 minutes a day, 4 days per week. In addition to high-intensity workouts, you will include 30 minutes of moderate to low intensity physical activity: walking, yoga, golf, cleaning, leisurely bike rides, pilates, dancing.

To summarize, weight-loss plans don’t have to be totally restrictive and painful. You can create your own program eating good food and working out but the results will be more gradual and sustained. You may even enjoy yourself along the way.

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Neha Uberoi Khangoora

Neha Uberoi Khangoora is a former professional tennis player, social entrepreneur and health and wellness advocate. She is the co-founder of South Asians in Sports (sainsports.com), a network of South Asian professionals who work in the sports industry.